Secrets and Lies
by Simmer2000
Summary: The sequel to All Grown Up. Secrets and Lies is only a temporary title. Takes place three years after the wedding. Read All Grown Up first!
1. Stress

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies (The Sequel to All Grown Up) - Chapter One  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't work on the show.   
  
Notes: This is the sequel to All Grown Up! It was great writing All Grown Up and nice to see that people enjoyed reading it. Obviously, read All Grown Up first otherwise you won't know what is going on. Just one thing, this may not be as happy as All Grown Up, so please don't say, "You shouldn't have wrote that!" or "Make it happier!" or anything like that. I basically wrote this chapter to set the scene of the story, so bear with me! I really do hope that you like it!   
  
Some parts of life had changed for Arnold, Helga, Gerald and Phoebe in three years. Helga and Arnold were still married and had one son called James. Gerald and Phoebe were also still together, and they still had their daughter, Chloe. The four of them still lived in England.   
  
Phoebe sighed as she walked down the city streets. She had a painful headache after a stressful day at work and now she had to go shopping for toys for her daughter, Chloe. Chloe's third birthday was coming up and Phoebe hadn't found the time to shop for her presents, yet. Every day, Phoebe would work hard at work. Three years ago, it was as if she didn't have to do any work, as she was the boss of an Internet Service Provider, but now, the company was in serious trouble. If Phoebe didn't do something, her company would go out of business.   
  
Three years ago, Phoebe had been happy. She had been happily watching a relationship develop between Arnold and Helga and was also delighted to be expecting a baby. Why did things have to change? Now, she was hassled by news reports saying that members of Phoebe.com were angry at the service, which had once been the best around. Also, she found that the stress of work was causing her to sometimes lose patience with Gerald, although Gerald was actually a great husband. Phoebe knew that Gerald didn't deserve to be snapped at, but sometimes she couldn't help it.   
  
Despite the fact that Phoebe's business was failing, she was still a millionaire and had more than enough money to buy anything that she wanted. She had recently bought a new house, but money didn't make Phoebe happy. But, Phoebe still didn't have a bad life. She had a loving husband, a beautiful daughter and brilliant friends, but it was just that stress seemed to be taking over her life.   
  
Phoebe walked past a toy store and entered went through the automatic door. The toy store was the biggest in England, but was very expensive. There were lots of working toys on display for children to look at and some parents took their children to the store even if they were not planning to buy their children anything. It was usually a treat to go to this brilliant toyshop.  
  
Phoebe smiled as she looked at a "Walking, Talking Dolly," in one aisle. Chloe had smiled and laughed when she had saw that in action when it had been on display. Phoebe knew that it would be a great surprise to get Chloe this as one of her birthday presents so she went over to the doll and took another look. Life wasn't bad for Phoebe after work; she always came home to a lovely family.   
  
Helga and Arnold were still happy together. Their son, James Pataki proved to sometimes be a handful, but Helga and Arnold both loved him dearly. The happy couple hadn't seen or heard anything from Lila since the night before the wedding and didn't really talk about her much. Nobody knew that Arnold actually had another baby boy called Josh, whose mother was Lila. Just before Arnold and Lila had broken up, Arnold had got Lila pregnant and Lila had kept her baby a secret.   
  
In fact, Lila was living in America. She still lived with her father, who was blind to Lila's evil ways. Lila's father helped a lot with Josh, but Lila still loved her son. Despite the things that Lila had done since she changed, she would not mistreat him. She loved Josh with all of her heart and wouldn't let anything happen to him.   
  
That evening, Helga decided to have a talk with Arnold about Phoebe's business. "It looks like things are getting bad for Phoebe," Helga told him. "She won't admit it, but she is actually in trouble."  
  
"How much trouble?" asked Arnold, sounding concerned. Phoebe was still a close friend to Arnold, who always seemed to be there for Helga and him. Arnold didn't want Phoebe to be in any sort of trouble, but he hadn't seen much of Phoebe lately.   
  
"I'm not sure," said Helga. "Because a lot of the staff that work on phone calls have quit, I've had to pitch in and help with phone calls, as well as my work on the home page of Phoebe.com! I am dealing with so many complaints about the service! I don't know what went wrong!"  
  
"Did all of this happen all of a sudden?" asked Arnold.  
  
"No, it happened gradually," said Helga.   
  
"It sounds like she should sell her company," said Arnold. "It's not like she actually needs to work. She's a millionaire. Maybe some new owners could bring Phoebe.com back to life! Haven't you suggested selling to Phoebe?"  
  
"It's hard to say!" Helga admitted. "She has so much pride! I don't know if she would admit that she is actually in trouble and sell the company!"  
  
"Well, if you won't do it, I will," said Arnold. "She'll listen to me! No wonder Gerald has been telling me that Phoebe has been coming home stressed. I suppose he doesn't know about any of this, does he?"  
  
"Phoebe doesn't want to worry him," said Helga. "She hasn't told him."  
  
"Phoebe has always helped us, so it's time that we did the same for her," said Arnold. "I'm going to phone her on her cellular phone right now and ask her if she wants to come over or whether it will be okay for me to go over to her house."  
  
Arnold dialled Phoebe's number and talked to her for nearly five minutes. Helga couldn't tell how the conversation was going, so Arnold had to fill her in after he had finished talking.  
  
"She's at the toy shop right now," said Arnold. "I feel really sorry for her. She sounds like she hasn't slept in days, but she said that she'll be over here in an hour. Will you let me talk to her alone?"  
  
"Sure," said Helga. "Good luck!"  
  
Meanwhile, over in America, in a small house very near to the old neighbourhood, Lila's father had waited until Lila had put Josh to bed and had made her sit down. He had a surprise for her.   
  
"Are you ready?" he asked.   
  
"What is it?" asked Lila. "I'm tired!"  
  
"You'll like this. I was at the travel agents today and I saw a great deal in the window. It was a two-week holiday in England. I got you a ticket!"  
  
"You can't afford that!" said Lila.   
  
"Well, like I said, it was a great deal and we're not really poor any more," he said. "You'll be taking Josh with you, of course, but I thought that it would be a break from this place for you."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Dad," said Lila. "That was a nice thought. So, when am I going?"   
  
"In four days."  
  
They both heard Josh shouting for his mother from upstairs and Lila went upstairs to check on him. As Lila walked upstairs, she said to herself, "England! Home of the lovely Arnold and Helga! I just hope that I don't bump into them! I might have to cause more damage!" Lila laughed and went to check on Josh. She went into his room and sat on the end of his bed. "We're going to England!" Lila said sweetly to him. "If you're lucky, you may just see your Daddy!"  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Phoebe asked Arnold as she stumbled into Arnold and Helga's house.   
  
"Come in and take a seat," said Arnold kindly. "You don't look so good."  
  
"I'm fine!" Phoebe reassured him.  
  
"No, you're not!" he said. "You look terrible! You look like you haven't slept in days and I've been told that you are suffering from a lot of stress!"  
  
"Thanks for your concern, Arnold, but you don't have to worry about me," said Phoebe.  
  
"I know about your business and that doesn't seem to be going so well, does it?" asked Arnold.   
  
"Okay, I admit it," said Phoebe. "Work is a nightmare!"  
  
"From what Helga has told me, I think that it would be a good idea to sell the company," said Arnold.   
  
"You think that I should sell?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"Maybe somebody else will be able to find success with your company," said Arnold. "I'm sure that you would still get a good price because of your company's past success."  
  
"I'll think about it," said Phoebe. "Thanks for your concern."  
  
"Do you think that you will be okay?" asked Arnold.   
  
"Yeah," said Phoebe. "You're a good friend, Arnold."  
  
"You too," Arnold complimented her.   
  
"Just one warning," said Phoebe. "If I do sell, Helga could lose her job. I can't make the company keep her as an employee."  
  
"I'll talk to her about that," Arnold promised. "I think that she will be happy that you are doing what is right for you."  
  
"I hope so," said Phoebe. "I've found that I have been taking a lot of this stress out on Gerald, lately. In fact, I'd better get home and apologise."  
  
Phoebe and Arnold said goodbye and Phoebe left. When Helga had heard the door close, she came downstairs. "What did she say?" asked Helga.  
  
"She's thinking about selling," Arnold informed her.   
  
"That's good," said Helga. "She needs a break!"  
  
"I have something else to tell you," said Arnold sadly. "If she sells, you could lose your job."  
  
Helga had feared that she would lose her job, if Phoebe was going to sell, so this didn't come as much of a shock. "I thought so," said Helga. "I'll just have to think of another way to make money!"  
  
"You have other talents!" encouraged Arnold.  
  
"Well, no talents come to mind!"  
  
For five days, Helga and Phoebe didn't see each other. Helga now had a car, so there was no need for Phoebe to drive her to work. Phoebe had made the decision to sell the company and finally decided that she should talk to Helga about it all. Phoebe invited Helga to come and see her and Helga reluctantly went along.   
  
Helga reached Phoebe's house at midday. First of all they chatted about things non-related to work, but the conversation went that way after twenty minutes.   
  
"Arnold told me that I could lose my job if you sell the company," said Helga glumly.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that," said Phoebe, feeling guilty.  
  
"Don't be silly, Phoebe, it's not your fault if the new owners don't want to take me on," said Helga.  
  
"I have decided to sell," said Phoebe. "I have had a few great offers in already."  
  
"That's good," said Helga.  
  
"But none of the people who want to buy want to keep my original staff. I'm going to wait until I find somebody who will."  
  
"Are these offers really good?" asked Helga.  
  
"They're better than I thought I would get," admitted Phoebe.  
  
"Then go for it, don't worry about me or any of the other staff," said Helga. "For once, think about yourself before you think about everybody else."  
  
"Okay, thanks," said Phoebe. "Have you got any ideas at what you are going to do next?"  
  
"I can't think of anything else that I'm good at!"  
  
"Well, remember when we met back in America and you said that you were struggling with your poetry?" asked Phoebe. "Maybe that was because you were away from Arnold! You haven't wrote any more poetry since you got together with Arnold. Maybe you could try!"  
  
"Wow! I haven't wrote any poems for years! I don't know if I'll be any good at it, now. I'll try!"  
  
"You should!"  
  
"Isn't it Chloe's birthday tomorrow?" asked Helga.  
  
"Oh no!" exclaimed Phoebe. "I forgot to finish off my shopping for her birthday! I've been so busy lately! You must think that I am terrible!"  
  
"Of course not!" said Helga.   
  
"I'll have to get to the toy store! Sorry that we didn't get to talk for long!"  
  
"It's okay!" reassured Helga.   
  
They walked out of Phoebe's new house together and said goodbye. Helga drove home while Phoebe drove towards the city.   
  
Lila was now in England. It was the second day of her holiday and she had spotted the enormous toy store in the city. "Look at those toys, Mummy!" said Josh.  
  
"Well, let's go inside and we'll take a look!" said Lila sweetly to her son.   
  
"Yay!" he shouted and they went inside. Josh was amazed at the selection of toys. Lila looked at some of the prices and was shocked. They were way too expensive for her. She just hoped that Josh didn't ask for anything. She didn't want to disappoint him. But, Josh seemed happy enough just looking at the toys on display.   
  
Lila stayed for twenty minutes when she found a toy that Josh would like that was quite inexpensive. Lila went to pay for the toy when Phoebe walked in the shop, looking for more toys for Chloe's birthday. The entrance to the store was quite close to the cash registers. Phoebe walked past Lila and didn't notice her. Phoebe went down one aisle and then went up another. She turned around to see an Offer of the Day poster near the cash registers. Then, she glanced at Lila, knowing that she recognised that face from somewhere. Then it hit her - this woman was Lila, but standing next to her was a toddler who looked slightly older than Chloe. Who was this toddler? Was Lila looking after a child of her friends? Phoebe couldn't see Lila actually helping somebody.   
  
Phoebe heard the small boy say, "Mummy, I'm hungry." Phoebe got a terrible shock. This child was Lila's son! Was this Arnold's son? Was Arnold keeping this child a secret from Helga? What was Phoebe going to do?  
  
Notes: This first chapter might have been boring, but this chapter is only to set the scene of the story. I know that Gerald didn't appear in this chapter, but he will appear in the next chapter. I hope for this fic to be longer than All Grown Up. Please review and tell me how I did! 


	2. The Secret Is Out

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Two  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't work on the show.   
  
Notes: This is the second chapter of the sequel to All Grown Up. I'm glad that people liked the first chapter! Thanks to everybody for their reviews. Gerald appears in this chapter. Read on to find out what Phoebe will do after she sees Lila with Josh!  
  
Lila paid for Josh's present and left the shop. Phoebe wanted to leave the shop and tell somebody. She couldn't keep this to herself, but she was here for her daughter, so Phoebe carried on shopping and bought some lovely presents for Chloe.   
  
Phoebe drove slowly home; wondering what she should do about what she had just saw. When she got home, Phoebe was greeted by Gerald. Should Phoebe tell Gerald? She had to tell somebody, she couldn't keep something this big to herself. They both sat down.   
  
"Gerald, I saw something this afternoon that I want to talk to somebody about," said Phoebe. "At this point, I can't tell Arnold or Helga. I want your advice on what I should do."  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Gerald. "What's so serious?"  
  
"Well, I went to the big toy shop in the city this afternoon to get some last minute birthday presents for Chloe," said Phoebe. "When I was there, I saw Lila."  
  
"I thought Lila lived in America!" said Gerald. "Are you afraid that she might try and break up Arnold and Helga again, if she meets them?"  
  
"It gets worse," said Phoebe. "She had a small boy with her. He looked like he was about Chloe's age."  
  
"A small boy?" asked Gerald. "But, it can't be Arnold's son, he said that he never had any children with Lila!"  
  
"What if he's keeping this child a secret from Helga?" asked Phoebe. "If Helga knew about this boy, she may not have wanted to get involved with Arnold!"  
  
"No, if Arnold had a son, I would know!" insisted Gerald. "He's my best friend! He couldn't keep something that big from me!"  
  
"Yeah, well, I saw Lila with a toddler and I think that Helga has a right to know about it," said Phoebe. "Then she can ask Arnold about it and see if I'm right!"  
  
"No!" said Gerald standing up quickly. "If you mention what you saw today, you could split up Arnold and Helga! Do you want to be responsible for their relationship falling apart?"  
  
"Of course I don't!" exclaimed Phoebe. "I love seeing them happily married! But, if Arnold does have a secret son, it's better that Helga finds out sooner rather than later!"  
  
"Are you going to tell Helga?" asked Gerald.   
  
"Well, I did want your advice," said Phoebe.   
  
"I'm against it," said Gerald firmly. "But you sound like you have your mind made up!"  
  
"I can't keep this from Helga," said Phoebe. "Even if it does mean that they break up! Helga and Arnold will both be here tomorrow to bring over Chloe's present. I'll try and catch Helga alone then."  
  
Over at Helga and Arnold's house, Helga and Arnold were both enjoying a candlelit dinner. James was in the living room, watching cartoons on TV.   
  
"This meal is great!" complimented Arnold. "You really are a good cook!"  
  
"Thanks," said Helga.   
  
"Have I told you how much I love you, lately?" asked Arnold romantically.  
  
"Actually, you haven't said that in a while!" said Helga.   
  
"Of course I have!" said Arnold.  
  
"You haven't!" insisted Helga. "At the first stage of our relationship, you always said it, but now that we are married, you don't say it very often!"  
  
"I'll change that!" said Arnold. "Even if we are married, I can still express my feelings towards you!"  
  
"I should think so, too!" said Helga. "Can you imagine us not being together?"  
  
"I don't want to imagine that!" said Arnold. "Nothing is going to split us up!"  
  
"I know!" said Helga.   
  
The next afternoon, Arnold and Helga arrived at Gerald and Phoebe's house with some gifts for Chloe. Helga rang the doorbell and Phoebe answered it.   
  
"Hi," said Phoebe nervously.  
  
"Hey!" said Helga happily, entering the house. "Now, where's the birthday girl?"   
  
"I'm in here!" shouted Chloe from the living room.  
  
"Hey Gerald," said Helga.   
  
"Hey Helga," said Gerald. Gerald also said hello to Arnold who was also now in the room.   
  
"Here's a present for you!" Helga said, passing a present wrapped with shiny red wrapping paper, which had a pink bow on the top to Chloe.   
  
Chloe quickly unwrapped the present to find a new doll and colouring book inside.   
  
"Now, what do you say?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Thank you!" said Chloe, sweetly.   
  
"So, are we going to cut the cake?" asked Helga.   
  
"Actually, I would like to talk to you for a minute!" Phoebe told Helga.   
  
"Not yet!" mouthed Gerald.   
  
"Okay," said Helga. "We'll go upstairs."  
  
They walked into Phoebe and Gerald's bedroom. Helga sat down on their four poster bed.   
  
"What's up?" asked Helga.   
  
"Did Arnold have a child with Lila?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"No!" said Helga. "Why do you ask that?"  
  
"Because, yesterday when I was at the bookstore, I saw Lila with a little boy who looked about three years old. It could have been Arnold's baby."  
  
"No!" insisted Helga. "It can't have been! Arnold wouldn't keep something like that from me!"  
  
"He looked a lot like Arnold!" insisted Phoebe.   
  
"It can't have been his child!" said Helga firmly.   
  
"If I were you, I would ask him," Phoebe advised. "Just to make sure."  
  
"Okay," said Helga. "I'll ask him now. But he will say no! He didn't have a child with Lila!"  
  
They returned downstairs, to the living room. "Chloe, go and take your new doll upstairs and introduce her to all of her new friends!" said Phoebe.  
  
"Okay, mummy!" said Chloe.   
  
"What's the matter?" asked Arnold.   
  
"Don't feel like you are under suspicion, but I have a question," said Helga.   
  
"Go ahead, what is it?" asked Arnold.   
  
"I've asked you this before, but I want to know if you had a child with Lila," Helga told him.   
  
"We didn't have a child," said Arnold.  
  
"Could there have been a chance of you two having a baby?" asked Phoebe.   
  
Arnold paused for a moment. "Yes," said Arnold. "Just before we broke up, there may have been a chance that I got her pregnant."  
  
"What?" asked a shocked Helga. "You mean that there is a chance that you and Lila have a child together?"  
  
"We don't!" said Arnold.   
  
"Arnold, yesterday I saw Lila in the toy store with a little boy," Phoebe informed him. "He looked like he was about three years old. It must be your son!"  
  
"It can't be, it just can't be!" protested Arnold.   
  
"I don't believe it!" said Helga, lost for words. "You have another child. And the mother is that bitch, Lila!"  
  
"It can't have been her!" said Arnold. "Lila doesn't live in England, she lives back in America!"  
  
"It was her, Arnold. I recognised her!" said Phoebe. "I hate to have to bring the bad news, but I felt that Helga had a right to know."  
  
"Didn't you know about this child?" asked Gerald.   
  
"I didn't know anything about him," said Arnold. "Lila kept him from me! The evil cow! Helga, I'm sorry."  
  
"I don't think that an apology is going to fix anything!" said Helga, who was starting to cry.   
  
"Helga, please don't blame me!" said Arnold, who tried to comfort her. "I didn't know that I had another child!"  
  
"Stay away!" said Helga, moving back. "I need time to think! I think that you should go."  
  
"Don't do this to me!" cried Arnold.   
  
"Go!" shouted Helga.   
  
Arnold left the room and Gerald followed him. "Just leave her for a few days, she'll come round," said Gerald.   
  
"I hope so," said Arnold, leaving the house.   
  
Gerald went back into the living room. Helga had ran upstairs. "Are you happy now?" asked Gerald  
  
Notes: Please don't review if you are going to protest at the fact that Arnold and Helga are fighting. It's my fic! Will Arnold and Helga make up! Look out for chapter three - it's coming soon! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter.  



	3. Comfort from Phoebe

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Three  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't work on the show.  
  
"You know that I didn't want that to happen!" protested Phoebe.   
  
"Yeah, but you didn't listen to my warning that you would break them up if you told Helga what you saw!" argued Gerald. "And now they are arguing! Helga looked shocked and upset and I will be very surprised if Helga will be able to forgive him!"  
  
"You didn't say that to Arnold, did you?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Of course not, I reassured him that Helga would come round! said Gerald. "You shouldn't have spoke to Helga first! You should have asked Arnold! He didn't know anything about this child who Lila has been hiding from him! It was a surprise to him, too! Arnold would have been able to break the news to Helga, gently."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Phoebe, sincerely. Gerald could see that Phoebe was upset enough already at what she had done and that she didn't need him to make her feel worse.   
  
"I know that you didn't mean for that to happen," said Gerald. "But now, the damage is done."  
  
"I'd better go up and talk to her," said Phoebe.   
  
"Good idea," said Gerald.   
  
Phoebe went upstairs and could hear Helga crying from Phoebe and Gerald's bedroom. Phoebe knocked gently on the door and walked in. Helga was sitting on the edge of the four-poster bed, crying.   
  
"Are you okay?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Of course I'm not okay!" cried Helga. "I've just found out that my husband has another baby to Lila!"  
  
"It was a shock to him, too!" said Phoebe. "It's not his fault. It's Lila's fault for keeping the baby a secret!"  
  
"He knew that there was a chance that Lila could have got pregnant, he just assumed that Lila wasn't pregnant," sniffed Helga.   
  
"Lila knew that Arnold would probably find out about the baby, one day," said Phoebe. "She also knew that it would upset you. She only kept this baby from Arnold to break you two up, again! It's another one of her tricks!"  
  
"Yeah, but Arnold isn't exactly innocent this time, is he?" asked Helga.  
  
"It's not like he was cheating on you, he got her pregnant when they were still together!" said Phoebe.  
  
"I suppose so," said Helga. "But, I'm still mad at him."  
  
"Before this argument gets too serious, look at it from Arnold's point of view," said Phoebe. "Then maybe you will be able to reason with him."   
  
"I suppose deep down I know that it's not Arnold's fault," said Helga. "But how can I stay married to him knowing that he has another child to Lila? Arnold would want to see his baby! That would mean that Lila would always be hanging around Arnold and me. It would drive me crazy! I hate her!"  
  
"You can't get a divorce!" exclaimed Phoebe. "What about James? What about the time that you have spent together? You and Arnold wasted enough time when you were younger, don't go wasting more now!"  
  
"I'll have to think about this," sighed Helga. "I wonder what Arnold's doing?"  
  
"Probably thinking about you," said Phoebe.  
  
Actually, when Arnold did get back home, he was upset about Helga, but figured that she needed time to get used to the idea of him having another child. But Arnold himself hadn't got used to the idea! He had never met this child! Arnold wanted to meet this child, even though he knew that it would probably hurt Helga's feelings. Arnold couldn't walk away and forget about the fact that he had a son. He had to find Lila and tell her that he rights to see this boy.   
  
If Helga was in the city, Arnold figured that she probably lived in this area and quickly got out his phone book and looked for Lila's name. Lila was not listed and neither was her father. "Lila can't be living here," said Arnold to himself. "If she was, I would have saw her in the city by now!"  
  
How could Arnold figure out where Lila lived? The doorbell rang and Arnold quickly got up to answer the door. Maybe Helga had came back to him! He was disappointed when he saw James' babysitter at the door. "We're home!" said the babysitter.   
  
"Hi," groaned Arnold.   
  
"Don't sound so pleased to see us!" said the babysitter.  
  
"Hi, Daddy!" said James.   
  
"Hi, son!" said Arnold. "Jackie, how much do I owe you?"  
  
"Seven pounds," said Jackie.   
  
Arnold handed over the money and Jackie said goodbye and left. "Did you have a good time with Jackie?" Arnold asked James as they walked into the house, together.   
  
"We went to the park and she took me on the swings!" said James.  
  
"That's nice!" said Arnold.   
  
"I want my colouring book!" said James.   
  
"I'll just go and get it, then I'll get you a drink," said Arnold.   
  
Over at Gerald and Phoebe's house, Helga had stopped crying and had came downstairs. They were all having a cup of tea. "So, Helga are you going to stay here for a while?" asked Gerald.  
  
"Yeah," said Helga. "I need some time away from Arnold so that I can think this whole thing through."  
  
"What about James?" asked Gerald. "Are you going to let Arnold look after him while you stay here?"  
  
"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about James!" exclaimed Helga. "I still want to see my son! But, I don't want to go over there and get him!"  
  
"Do you want us to go over and talk to Arnold?" asked Phoebe. "We'll just explain that you want to see James while you stay here and think."  
  
"Would you?" asked Helga.  
  
"Yeah, Gerald and I will go straight over there, now," offered Phoebe.  
  
"Keep me out of it!" said Gerald.  
  
"You're coming with me!" Phoebe ordered.  
  
Phoebe and Gerald said goodbye to Chloe and they stepped outside and drove over to Helga and Arnold's house.   
  
Notes: I know this was short and I'm sorry. The next part will be longer. Please review!  



	4. Decision

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Four  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or work on the show.   
  
Notes: Yeah, I'm sorry that I made a few typos in the last part. Thanks for pointing them out. I did check through the chapter a few times before uploading, but I must have missed them. I've edited the part now, so it should be okay. This chapter will be quite dramatic when Helga decides whether she wants to stay with Arnold!   
  
Arnold was busy playing with James when his doorbell rang. He quickly left James and answered the door to find Phoebe and Gerald at the doorway. They both looked very serious and Arnold wondered why they were here. Had Helga sent them? Didn't Helga want to stay with him?   
  
"Hi," said Arnold. "Helga's sent you, hasn't she?"   
  
"Yes, she has," said Phoebe. "Can we come in for a moment?"  
  
"Sure," said Arnold, who led them into the living room. "What does she want to you to tell me?"  
  
"She wants to take James," Phoebe said. "While she thinks this whole thing through, she wants to be close to her son."  
  
"No! You're not taking James!" said Arnold. "James is my child, too, and I have a right to stay with him!"  
  
"Helga is really shocked," explained Phoebe. "We all know that she will get over it and come back to you, but until then, I think that it will be a good idea for you to just make life easy for her. She will see that you are being reasonable and come back to you!"  
  
"Are you sure that she will come round?" asked Arnold.   
  
"I talked to her and, deep down, she knows that it's not your fault," Phoebe reassured him. "She'll be back to you in no time."  
  
"Okay then," said Arnold. It was difficult for him to give his son to Phoebe, but if it would make Helga come back to him any sooner, it would be worth it. "You can take James."  
  
"I know that this is hard for you," said Phoebe.   
  
"It is," said Arnold, turning to James. "James, you are going to go and stay at Phoebe's house for a while!"  
  
"I want to stay here!" said James, knocking down his building blocks.   
  
"Your mummy will be there!" Arnold told him.   
  
"Yay, mummy!" shouted James.   
  
"He'll be okay," reassured Phoebe.   
  
"Do you want to stay for a coffee or something?" asked Arnold.   
  
"We'd better get going," Phoebe said. "We'll see you soon."  
  
Phoebe stepped outside into the hallway, leaving Gerald with Arnold for a minute. Phoebe noticed the photographs of Arnold, Helga and James together. There were pictures of James as a baby and pictures of him at the park, in his pram. Yet again, Lila had tried to ruin the relationship between Helga and Arnold, but this time, it looked like she was succeeding.   
  
"Don't worry, man," said Gerald to Arnold. "Helga will be back in no time. We'll make sure of that."  
  
"Bye," said Arnold, as Gerald joined Phoebe in the hallway. They opened the front door and said goodbye and then drove back to their house.   
  
Arnold began to cry. Lila had made him lose everything, but hopefully, this would only be a temporary arrangement.  
  
For two weeks, Helga and James stayed at Gerald and Phoebe's house. This was much longer than Gerald and Phoebe had expected her to stay for and they began to worry. Helga hadn't mentioned Arnold once while she stayed there, and Gerald and Phoebe tried to stay away from the subject and let Helga get through the whole thing on her own.   
  
Gerald telephoned Arnold every day to reassure him that Helga was okay and would be coming home soon, although Gerald had serious doubts whether Helga would be home any time soon. Arnold sank into depression. He didn't take well to living alone without his wife and child. Phoebe had come over again to get some of Helga's clothes, but again told him that she would come round.   
  
One day, Arnold was having his lunch when the telephone rang. Arnold figured that it would be Gerald, so he wasn't in much of a rush to answer the phone. Every day, Gerald had said that Helga was close to coming home, but she never seemed to actually come home.   
  
When he answered it he said hello and he was delighted to hear Helga's voice say hi back to him. "Helga!" he exclaimed. "Is that you?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me," said Helga, who was still at Gerald and Phoebe's house. "I want you to come over in about an hour. We need to talk."  
  
"Okay, I'll be sure to be there," said Arnold, who was delighted to hear from Helga again.   
  
"See you in an hour," said Helga.   
  
"Bye!" exclaimed Arnold.   
  
Finally, Arnold had a smile on his face! In an hour, he would be reunited with his true love! Helga had finally came round after two weeks! Arnold went upstairs to find his best clothes. This would be great!  
  
"I've finally sold my Internet company," said Phoebe, walking into the living room of her house, fifteen minutes later. Gerald and Helga were both watching TV. Phoebe could tell that there had been an awkward silence in the room before she had walked in.  
  
"You sold it?" asked Gerald.   
  
"Yeah, I just signed the papers!" said Phoebe. "Hopefully the new owners will be more successful that I have been lately!"  
  
"What do you plan on doing next?" asked Gerald.   
  
"I'm not sure," admitted Phoebe. "But, I might not carry on working, any more! I'm still a millionaire, despite how much money I lost from my company."  
  
"Yeah, you don't need to work again!" said Helga. "But, now that you're both here, I'd better tell you that I've been in touch with Arnold."  
  
"That's great news!" exclaimed Phoebe.   
  
"Arnold will be happy!" said Gerald.   
  
"He's coming over in about 45 minutes, but I suppose that I'd better tell you what I'm going to tell him, before he comes," said Helga. "I'm not going to get back together with him."  
  
Gerald and Phoebe's worst fears were now coming to life. "What do you mean?" asked Phoebe. "You don't want to carry on your marriage with Arnold?"  
  
"I can't stay with him now that I know that Arnold has another son!" explained Helga. "He will want to see his son. He's not just going to forget about him, is he? That would mean that we would always be in contact with Lila! I couldn't handle that! She would constantly be trying to break us up and that is why I can't stay with Arnold."  
  
"I don't believe this!" moaned Gerald. "You can't do that to Arnold. He is in as much shock as you are!"  
  
"Do you plan on getting a divorce?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"I suppose that we'll have to," said Helga, sadly.   
  
"You don't sound too happy about this," said Gerald. "I think that you need to reconsider."  
  
"Of course I'm not happy about it!" exclaimed Helga. "But I don't feel like I have any other options!"  
  
"You have other options!" shouted Gerald. "If you break up with Arnold, you will destroy him!"  
  
"I don't have any other options, whether you believe me or not," said Helga, who could feel tears forming in her eyes. "Now, could you two make yourself scarce when Arnold comes over?"  
  
"Yes," said Phoebe. "We'll go upstairs now."  
  
Gerald and Phoebe went upstairs to their bedroom, and closed the door. "Can you believe this?" asked Gerald. "She's only thinking about herself! She hasn't taken it into account that this whole thing has came as a complete surprise to Arnold, too!"  
  
"I know that she is making a mistake, but I can see what she is saying," Phoebe told him. "Lila would be constantly around them, trying to break them up."  
  
"They would get through that," said Gerald. "She is making a terrible mistake!"  
  
Fifteen minutes passed and Gerald and Phoebe saw Arnold walking up the path, from their bedroom window. "Oh my gosh, he has flowers!" sighed Phoebe. "He thinks that he is getting back together with Helga!"  
  
Arnold knocked on the door and Helga let him in. They stepped into the living room and they both sat down. "You're early," said Helga.   
  
"I couldn't wait to see you," said Arnold. "I brought you these flowers."  
  
"Thanks," said Helga. "But, you may not want to give them to me after you hear what I have got to say."  
  
"What do you want to say?" asked Arnold.   
  
"I think that it would be best for both of us if we were to break up," said Helga.   
  
"Break up?" asked Arnold, gently. "You can't mean that."  
  
"I've had time to think this through," explained Helga. "I can't carry on playing happy families with you if you have another son."  
  
"Why is that so hard for you to handle?" asked Arnold. "It came as a shock to me, too!"  
  
"I wouldn't be able to cope with Lila always being around us," Helga told him. "You would want to see your other son and that would mean us always being in contact with Lila."  
  
"We would have some contact with her!" said Arnold. "But, we wouldn't let her come between us!"  
  
"She would find a way to break us up, like she always does," said Helga. "That wouldn't be great for our marriage, would it? Instead of us getting hurt in the future, we might as well stop this right now."  
  
"Helga, please change your mind!" pleaded Arnold.   
  
"I think that it would be for the best if you went now," Helga said. "I'm not going to change my mind."  
  
"Helga, no!" said Arnold, starting to cry.   
  
"I'll talk to a solicitor about our divorce," said Helga. "Please, go."  
  
"You're making a mistake!" said Arnold, leaving.   
  
Once Arnold was outside, Helga shut the door. Arnold walked slowly down the path of Phoebe's large garden. Arnold needed to take a walk. He headed towards the city.   
  
"He's leaving!" said Phoebe, looking down at Arnold from her window. "Oh my gosh, he's crying! Helga must have gone through with it and broke up with him!"  
  
"That was quick," said Gerald. "I wonder what she said?"  
  
"We'd better leave Helga alone for a while," said Phoebe. "Let's just stay up here for another hour."  
  
"Okay," said Gerald, reluctantly.   
  
"Don't be too hard on Helga," Phoebe told him. "This is a hard time for her."  
  
"It'll be even harder for Arnold!" Gerald pointed out.   
  
As Arnold walked down the city streets, he saw a woman who he recognised, pushing a pram into a hotel. It was only when she was out of sight that Arnold realised that the woman who he had saw was Lila. Arnold hadn't taken a proper look at the child who was in the pram! He had had the chance to see his child and he missed it! Arnold wasn't going to give up now. He had lost enough today, he wasn't about to lose the chance to see his son.   
  
Arnold went up to the reception of the hotel and gave in Lila's name. He asked the woman at the reception desk whether she was staying at the hotel and he also asked what room she was in.   
  
"I'm sorry, I can't give out that information!" said the woman.   
  
"It's very important!" said Arnold.   
  
"I'm sorry, sir, I cannot help you!" repeated the woman, firmly.   
  
"Will this help?" asked Arnold, putting a £20 note onto the reception desk.   
  
"Okay," said the woman. "She's in room 674, it's on the third floor."  
  
"Thanks, miss," said Arnold, who went into the lift and pressed the button to take him to the third floor.   
  
Notes: Cliffhanger! I know that you're probably going to hate me for splitting up Arnold and Helga, but I did say that this fic wouldn't be as happy as All Grown Up right at the start. Future chapters will still be very exciting and maybe I will slowly develop the relationship between Arnold and Helga again. Please don't let this put you off reading future chapters. Look out for chapter five - where Arnold meets his secret son!  



	5. A Fresh Start for Helga

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Five  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.   
  
Notes: I'm glad to hear that Helga and Arnold splitting up didn't put you off reading the rest... I don't like it that Helga and Arnold are fighting, either, but I just couldn't see Helga putting up with Lila. Bah, maybe they'll get back together some day. But then again, maybe they won't! Sorry, I'm teasing now, I'll just get on with it and let you read chapter five.   
  
The lift doors opened on the third floor. Arnold stepped out. The hotel didn't look so bad, it had walls that were painted green and clean, red carpets. Arnold figured that Lila was only taking a holiday to England.   
  
Arnold found Lila's room and banged loudly on the door. Lila answered it and was shocked at who she saw at the door. "Arnold?" she asked. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"  
  
"Let's just cut to the chase, Lila," said Arnold, pushing himself through the doorway and into Lila's hotel room. "I know that we have a son and that you have been keeping him from me."  
  
"How did you find out?" asked Lila.   
  
"Let's just say that I have my sources," said Arnold. "What are you doing in England, anyway?"  
  
"Well, I was supposed to be here on a two week holiday, but I liked it here so much, that I extended my stay at this hotel and booked a different flight home!" Lila explained.   
  
"How much longer are you staying here for?" asked Arnold.   
  
"Four days," said Lila. "Not that it's any of your business."  
  
"It is my business!" said Arnold. "I want to know when you are going to take my son away from me again!"  
  
"You haven't wanted to see him before, I don't know why you are so interested now," said Lila.   
  
"You know quite well that I didn't know about him!" shouted Arnold. "I want to see him, right now."  
  
"He's asleep, you'll have to wait!" said Lila.   
  
"I'm not leaving here until I meet my son!" demanded Arnold.   
  
"Then, you'll have to wait until he wakes up from his afternoon nap," said Lila, firmly. "So, how is Helga?"  
  
"Like you care!" said Arnold. "We're not together any more."  
  
"Why is that?" asked Lila, finally hearing some good news.   
  
Arnold didn't want to give Lila the satisfaction of knowing that she had managed to split them both up so he just said, "We just had some differences."  
  
"At least you are free to date other women!" said Lila.   
  
"We're still married, you know!" said Arnold. "We'll be back together in no time."  
  
"I think that you are in denial," smiled Lila.   
  
"Shut up, you don't know anything about it," said Arnold. "Can I use your bathroom?"  
  
"Sure, it's down that hallway and on the left," said Lila. When Arnold had gone into the bathroom, Lila muttered, "Helga's loss, my gain!"  
  
Phoebe and Gerald had given Helga some time alone to think and stayed upstairs, but decided that it was time to see how Helga was doing. They went downstairs and saw that Helga was sitting miserably at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of wine.   
  
"Did you tell him?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Yes," said Helga, who sound as if she had been crying. "He pleaded with me not to break up with him, but I still went ahead with it."  
  
"Do you regret it?" asked Phoebe.   
  
Helga paused for a moment. "No, of course not, I told you my reasons why I wanted to break up and I still stand by my decision,"she said.   
  
"Don't you think that it's going to be hard?" asked Gerald. "Phoebe and I are still friends with Arnold and we're not going to stop seeing him. You would be seeing and hearing about him just as much as you would be hearing about Lila if you stayed with him!"  
  
"That's why I've made another decision," said Helga. "I can't stay here any more."  
  
"Then, where are you going to stay?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"I want to go and live back over in America," Helga said. "It's the only way that I will be able to forget about Arnold."  
  
"You're not going to go running back to your Mum and Dad are you?" asked Gerald.  
  
"No, of course not," Helga said. "I'm going to try and get an apartment over in New York."  
  
"Do you have enough money for that?" asked Phoebe, concerned about her friend's sudden desire to move away.   
  
"I have enough saved up for me to start all over again," said Helga. "Please don't try and talk me out of my decision."  
  
"Okay," said Phoebe.   
  
"I'll have to sort out the divorce, first," said Helga. "But, maybe I'll be able to get a lawyer over in America."  
  
"I don't believe that you're doing this, you know that you will regret it, straight away," said Gerald. "So, you plan on taking Arnold's child away from him? To another country? Why aren't you thinking about anybody but yourself?"  
  
"Gerald!" scolded Phoebe.   
  
"I'm not stopping Arnold from seeing James," Helga explained. "If he cares enough about him, he will come back over to America, himself. Then he will be able to see James as often as he likes."  
  
"You're being unreasonable," said Gerald.   
  
"I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be," said Helga.  
  
"It's pointless!" exclaimed Gerald. "You're moving away because you don't want to see Arnold any more, but you want him to follow you over to New York so you'll end up seeing him anyway? It's just stupid!"  
  
"Stop shouting at her," Phoebe said to Gerald.   
  
"It's this whole town!" said Helga. "There are too many memories. I want a fresh start and I want to do it over in America. I might start making some enquiries about somewhere to live over there right now." Helga went upstairs to make some phone calls.  
  
When Helga had gone, Phoebe said to Gerald, "You didn't have to shout at her like that."  
  
"She needs to see sense," said Gerald. "You don't seem to be doing a good job of talking her out of it."  
  
"I think that it's plain to see that Helga has made up her mind and nothing that we can do or say can change that," said Phoebe, sadly. "Face it, Lila's won this time. She's finally succeeded in breaking up the perfect couple."  
  
Back over at Lila's hotel room, Arnold was still waiting awkwardly for his son to wake up. Lila could see that Arnold was very depressed at the moment after his break up with Helga. She knew that she would be able to take advantage of that. Maybe Arnold would fall for her?   
  
Notes: Will Arnold fall for Lila's charm? Find out in chapter seven! 


	6. Arnold Meets His Son

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Six  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.   
  
Notes: I'm writing this using the new chaptering system. In case you haven't noticed, the whole thing did lose me some reviews, but I suppose that it doesn't matter because I had read them all anyway. I apologise to anybody on my Author Alert list who received lots of messages that new chapters had been added to fics that you have already read. This part is shorter than the others are, but hopefully the next one will be longer.  
  
"He should be awake soon," said Lila.   
  
"Don't worry, I don't have to be anywhere any time soon," said Arnold.   
  
"Why did you and Helga split up?" asked Lila.   
  
Arnold could feel the anger boiling up inside him. Arnold knew that Lila probably knew that they had broken up because of her, but of course Arnold tried to remain calm. "I told you that we had our differences and that's the end of it!" said Arnold. "Why do you enjoy seeing people miserable?"  
  
"You're imagining things!" said Lila. "So, do you want something to drink? I have a cabinet full of free alcohol over there in the corner." Lila pointed to a wooden cabinet near to the window. "You can take whatever you want. We could open a glass of wine and we could share it!"  
  
"I'll have some wine," said Arnold, who felt like he needed something to drink after the day that he had had today.  
  
"Sure," said Lila, and she walked over to the cabinet, taking out an expensive bottle of red wine. At that moment, a small boy who had blonde hair walked out of one of the bedrooms. Arnold could tell straight away that this was his child. Josh had a football shaped head, unlike James, the child who he had had with Helga, who hadn't taken his football head.   
  
"Arnold, this is Josh, my son!" Lila said to Arnold.   
  
Arnold was shocked. He wanted to run up to this child, who he had not seen before in his life, and hug him. Arnold sat, frozen in his chair, not sure what to do and not sure what to say.   
  
"His name is Josh," Lila informed him.   
  
"Who is that man?" asked Josh, who ran over to his mother and clutched her leg.   
  
Arnold was hurt. This child didn't have any idea who he was and looked like he was afraid of him. Arnold was determined to get to know his son. It wouldn't be too hard to please a child of three years old, would it? All of the bad feelings between Lila and him were wiped from Arnold's memory as Arnold decided to focus on his child.  
  
"That's Arnold!" Lila said gently to Josh. "He's a friend of mine! And if you're good, he may just buy you a nice present!"  
  
"Really?" Josh asked? Arnold saw Josh's face instantly light up. Arnold had been right, it wouldn't be too hard to please Josh.   
  
There was a knock at the hotel room door and Lila rushed to answer it. Arnold saw a woman who looked around the same age as Lila, who had long, strawberry blonde hair.   
  
"I'm here to pick up Josh," said the woman.   
  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot," said Lila, turning to Arnold. "Arnold, this is my friend, Michelle. She used to be my neighbour, but she moved to England. She offered to take Josh out for an afternoon so I could get some peace!"  
  
"Hi," said Arnold.   
  
"I'd love to stay and chat," said Michelle, "but if we don't get to the park soon, it will get too packed and I won't be able to take Josh on the swings."   
  
"See you later, Michelle!" exclaimed Lila. "Thanks for taking Josh out!"  
  
"No problem, Lila!" said Michelle, leading Josh out of the hotel room and shutting the door behind her.   
  
"She seems nice!" said Arnold.   
  
"Michelle doesn't really like me, she only likes Josh," Lila said. "She's not my friend. I don't have any friends."  
  
"Listen, Lila," said Arnold angrily. "You know that it is your fault if you don't have any friends! You have upset too many people! Michelle seems like a perfectly nice woman, and as soon as she leaves you start talking about her!"  
  
"I'm sorry for all of the things that I've done in the past!" lied Lila. Lila wasn't sorry at all, but maybe saying this would make Arnold feel sorry for her and pay attention to her.   
  
"If you really mean that, you would change your ways right now," advised Arnold.   
  
"You know that I'll try," lied Lila, with no intention of changing. "But, I need your help. Help me to change Lila, stay with me!"  
  
"Stay with you?" asked Arnold.   
  
"Come back to England with me!" said Lila.   
  
"I can't Lila, you know that I have too much for me here, I have Helga and I have James!" said Arnold.   
  
"You and Helga have broken up!" exclaimed Lila. "Do you really think that you will get back together with Helga?"  
  
At that point, Arnold realised that Helga probably wasn't going to come round. Maybe their relationship was over. Then, Arnold looked down at Lila, who was pleading with him to stay with her. Arnold couldn't see that Lila was only lying and looking for his affections. Arnold could only feel sorry for Lila.   
  
They were sitting on the couch, and Arnold leaned forward, towards her. They started to kiss.   
  
Notes: Don't kill me for making them kiss! Arnold is so depressed after Helga dumped him; he is falling for Lila's ways! Hopefully he will figure out what she is doing in chapter seven, but you'll have to wait and see! Again, I am sorry that this is short; the next part will be longer. I'm starting to get inspired to write another fic, I could end up writing two fics at once, I hope that you guys don't mind. And, I haven't forgotten about Oskar, the Millionaire, either. I'm just not feeling inspired to add more to this at the moment.  



	7. Plans

Hey Arnold!  
  
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Seven  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.   
  
"I just phoned up the airport," said Helga, slowly walking downstairs. "They have a ticket for me! I'm leaving in two weeks!"  
  
"Two weeks?" asked Phoebe, shooting up from the couch in a shot. "You don't have any place to stay!"  
  
"Well, actually, I do," said Helga. "I've been talking to Nadine on the telephone. I remembered that she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend a few months ago."  
  
"What did Nadine say?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"I picked Nadine because I know that she lives alone in New York," said Helga. "She says that she could do with a roommate! So I told her that I would be happy to move in with her!"  
  
"Helga, you can't just leave like that!" exclaimed Phoebe. "You are taking James away from Arnold with hardly any notice!"  
  
"We've been over this before!" moaned Helga. "If Arnold really cares about James, he can see him on weekends! He'll just have to move over to America!"  
  
"There's no talking sense to her, is there?" Gerald asked Phoebe angrily.   
  
"Don't talk to me as if I'm not here!" snapped Helga. "I know that you guys hate me for this, but I feel like it's for the best!"  
  
"It may be for the best for you, Helga, but it's not for everybody else!" said Gerald.   
  
"Listen Helga, if this is what you want, I'll support you through it all," Phoebe comforted her.   
  
"What?" asked Gerald.   
  
"What about your house?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"I don't care about it," said Helga. "Arnold can do whatever he likes with it! I'll just be glad to get out of here!" Helga paused for a moment while she looked in her handbag and took out a small envelope. She turned to Gerald. "Gerald, when you see Arnold could you give this to him?"   
  
"What is it?" asked Gerald.   
  
"It's my rent for the last month," said Helga. "We haven't paid the rent yet and I did live there last month, so I have to pay."  
  
"Okay," said Gerald, who reluctantly took the envelope from her.   
  
"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?" Phoebe asked Helga.   
  
"Yes please," said Helga and Phoebe made her way to the kitchen. There was an awkward silence in the room. Helga knew that Gerald was very angry with her because of the decision that she had made. She thought that it would be best not to talk to him right now, he needed time to calm down. Gerald was more than angry at Helga at that moment. He could see what a big mistake that Helga was making and could see that she was breaking Arnold's heart. Gerald thought that she was selfish.   
  
In a modern apartment in New York City, Nadine sat back, very excited about the phone call that she had just had. She had just been talking to Helga Pataki. They had started to get closer as friends as they grew up together in High School and had kept in touch with each other after Helga's wedding.   
  
Helga had said that she had wanted to get out of England as quickly as possible and had asked whether it would be possible for her to stay with Nadine. Nadine had jumped at the chance to have a roommate, as she had been extremely lonely after her break up with her boyfriend.   
  
But now, Nadine was wondering if she had made the right decision. Helga hadn't exactly explained why she had wanted to leave England, but she hadn't mentioned Arnold. "They must have broken up," Nadine muttered sadly. Had she made the right decision? Nadine wondered what could have happened to break up what she had thought was the perfect couple. Of course, she hadn't thought this when she was younger, but after seeing how happy Arnold and Helga were together at the reunion and at their wedding, she had thought that they were happy together. But, now that Nadine had said that Helga could stay, Nadine felt that she couldn't change her mind. It was up to Helga and Arnold to sort out their differences.   
  
Nadine would have to try and talk to Phoebe on the telephone for an explanation of what had gone wrong with Helga and Arnold's marriage.   
  
Arnold and Lila continued to kiss in Lila's hotel room, when Arnold quickly tried to stop and he sat upright.   
  
"What's the matter?" asked Lila.  
  
"I can't do this!" exclaimed Arnold. "It's wrong."  
  
"Arnold, you love me, you don't have to deny it any more!" smiled Lila. "You and Helga have broken up!"  
  
"I don't love you; I'm leaving," said Arnold.   
  
"You'll stay here!" shouted Lila and then added. "Or you won't see Josh ever again!  
  
Notes: To be continued! What will happen between Arnold and Lila? Will Helga move in with Nadine and get her divorce? I know that this is short, you don't have to tell me. I'm really sorry about these short chapters! I promise that I will give you all a longer one soon.  



End file.
